Church vs. Church

July 7, 2005

To those who think that the Jews and Israel always must fight alone against their enemies, the latest crop of bad news has brought something of a silver lining along with it.

The bad news is that the movement within the mainline Protestant churches to push for disinvestment in companies that do business in Israel is growing. Previously, the Presbyterian Church USA came out on behalf of this virtual economic boycott of the Jewish state. The United Church of Christ is the latest American denomination to debate this issue.

The good news is that Jews are far from alone in pointing out that disinvestment is a threat to any chance of peace.

Most rank-and-file members of these churches know little about the resolutions being debated by their leaders, and do not support them. Jewish groups seeking to derail this trend must build upon the goodwill for Israel that runs deep in most sectors of American Protestantism.

Even more interestingly, some evangelical Christians are beginning to make their voices heard on this issue, too. While it's unlikely that the opposition of conservatives will have much of an impact on the leadership of liberal denominations, it is still heartening to see more non-Jews making the point that divestment is an act of war against the Jewish people, not a measure designed to strengthen the chances for peace.

While it is vital that Jewish groups state that support for divestment will break any ties between our community and those who would support such a measure, we must also reach out wherever possible to our non-Jewish friends.